The railway reached Severn Beach in 1900, but was at first used only for goods traffic to Pilning. A platform was built beside the line at Severn Beach by the Great Western Railway in 1922, and a bay platform added to the west for excursion traffic, with terminating passenger services from Bristol starting on 26 May 1924, subsequently extended to in a loop back to Bristol via from 9 July 1928. By 1924 a brick concourse had been built perpendicular to the bay platform, providing a ticket office, the station master's office, toilets and a ladies' waiting room. The station master and keeper of the level crossing were also provided with houses, while to the east of the platform were sidings, primarily for stabling of excursion trains. In November 1964 through services to Pilning ceased, with the line north closed completely in July 1968, although goods traffic at Severn Beach had already ended in 1963. More recently, services to Severn Beach have been cut back further, with only one in three trains to now continuing on to Severn Beach. The concourse and other station buildings have been demolished, replaced with a small metal and glass shelter, while the eastern rails have been pulled up, leaving just the bay platform remaining. Half of the is cordoned off, and that which remains dwarfs the two-car diesel multiple units which use it. To the east, the land once used for sidings has become overgrown and a dumping ground for litter and general detritus.
Service
Services at Severn Beach are all terminating services from, operated byGreat Western Railway using mainly Turbo units. Monday to Friday, three trains every two hours run from Temple Meads to, with one extended to and Severn Beach, giving a service roughly every two hours, the first arriving around 6am and the last departing Severn Beach about 11pm. On Saturdays more trains continue, with either a replacement bus service or train each hour, with more trains in the evening. Sunday sees an hourly service in the summer months, but just two departures in the winter
Future
Great Western Railway declined a contractual option to continue the Greater Western passenger franchise beyond 2013, citing a desire for a longer-term contract due to the impending upgrade to the Great Western Main Line. The franchise was put out to tender, but the process was halted and later scrapped due to the fallout from the collapse of the InterCity West Coast franchise competition. A two-year franchise extension until September 2015 was agreed in October 2013, and subsequently extended until March 2019. With the coming upgrade to the Great Western Main Line, the main line from London to Bristol is due to be electrified by 2016. However, the electrification will not extend beyond the main lines, so Severn Beach will continue to be served by diesel trains. Stephen Williams, MP for Bristol West, questioned whether electrification could continue to. Then-Secretary of State for Transport Philip Hammond replied that it would have to be looked at in the future. The group Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways supports the electrification of the entire Severn Beach Line. Improved services at Severn Beach are called for as part of the Greater Bristol Metro scheme, a rail transport plan which aims to enhance transport capacity in the Bristol area. There is an aspiration for half-hourly services, however due to the large sections of the Severn Beach Line which are single-track and to the congested main line from Temple Meads, such frequency is not currently feasible. The scheme was given the go-ahead in July 2012 as part of the City Deal, whereby local councils would be given greater control over money by the government.
